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Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex Opens Homes to International Students

Industry: Education

North Texas communities open their doors to homestay for international students, bridging cultures and creating a healthy income for hosts.

REDMOND, WA (PRUnderground) May 21st, 2014

Making the choice to pack up, leave family behind, and travel across the globe to study in a foreign country is no small adventure for a young person.  Language challenges, strange food, unspoken cultural conventions, and just feeling lonely are part of every step.

But the opportunity and prestige for students from Asia and the Middle East who study in the US can be a serious boost to the student’s future.  This, in combination with robust government scholarships from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Libya, keep international students flowing into American schools in record numbers – nearly 820,000 international students enrolled in US colleges and universities in the 2012-2013 academic year in addition to those who come for English training, professional programs, or high school.

The living environments students choose for their transition to the US contribute enormously to the success of their experience.  Dormitories and apartments don’t address some of the largest cultural, social, emotional, and language challenges these students face, especially during the first months of transition.   Many Americans have experienced the joy of providing volunteer homestay to high school students as part of the Department of State exchange student program.    The opportunity to be paid a stipend to offset the additional expenses for hosting a college or high school aged student is just taking hold in the US as more families have life-changing, rich experiences hosting students. American Homestay Network is an industry leader in providing support to our hosts and their students.

In response to this new enthusiasm for homestay, local entrepreneur, Casey Cavalier, has just launched the North Texas Regional Agency of the American Homestay Network.  Cavalier, a resident of Denton, believes that people in North Texas are welcoming to visitors from other countries and that the expansion of homestay will be a huge success in the area. “Many of us in the Metroplex are from somewhere else. We are our own melting pot,” he said. “The sheer number of colleges and universities here shows that we value diversity and education.”

The value for students is life-changing:  The chance to practice English every day, experience local and cultural traditions, be a part of a supportive family, and build friendships for a lifetime cannot be duplicated by living in a dormitory or an apartment with other international students.

Hosts benefit as well:  They get to be ambassadors for the United States, allowing students from around the world to experience the American lifestyle.  They can expose family members to different cultures, food, and traditions, all while having the opportunity to make a healthy income.

Hosts through the American Homestay Network in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex can host up to two students at a time and can earn between $546 and $941 per month per student for hosting, depending on how much they share meals and transportation, the quality of the accommodation, and the location.

As an agent of the American Homestay Network, Cavalier brings to North Texas the safety, standards, and support of the national AHN-US organization, which is also affiliated with the Australian Homestay Network.  With practices based on the Australian model, which relies on industry standards widely recognized as the highest in the world, AHN-US is also currently serving students in Washington, Oregon, Georgia,  Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, California, Massachusetts, and Virginia.

“We’re expanding aggressively,” says Glenda Sinclair, AHN-US CEO, “because we believe in the social impact of international exchange through homestay and because we believe in the economic opportunity for communities in the American homestay market.”

AHN continues to recruit entrepreneurs to open agencies in a small number of remaining strategic markets.  Learn more at agency.homestaynetwork.com.

About American Homestay Network

The American Homestay Network is setting a new global standard for homestay. The
company’s network of regional offices supports a pool of hosts and partners, all of
whom strive to provide international students with a culturally enriching homestay
experience in an American home. The American Homestay Network, established in
2012, is based on the values of Australian Homestay Network: exceptionally trained
hosts offering enriching experiences to international students. For more information,
visit www.homestaynetwork.com.

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